Govt approval to Khurja Coal Plant is a step back in tackling Air Pollution: Greenpeace India

Greenpeace India on Thursday said the government’s approval for
setting up 1320 MW Khurja Super Thermal Power Plant in Bulandshahr district of
Uttar Pradesh is a step back in tackling Air Pollution and providing affordable
electricity.

The approval comes at a time when the coal power sector is
reeling under multiple challenges, including low Plant Load Factor (PLF) due to
high cost of coal power and inability of distribution companies to purchase
power.

Pujarini Sen from Greenpeace India said: “After allocating a
mere 400 crore for implementation of National Clean Air Program (NCAP) which
was supposed to move India towards clean air, Government approval for
Rs.11,089.42 crore investment for a coal power plant in the most polluted
National Capital Region (NCR) is a double blow to public money and public
health.”

Earlier this week, a report from Greenpeace & AirVisual
pointed out that 22 of the 30 most polluted cities in the world were in India
and among them NCR is the most polluted region in India. 7 of the 30 most
polluted cities in the world are in Uttar Pradesh, the state in which the
Khurja plant will be located. Studies suggest Uttar Pradesh accounted for 2.6 lakh deaths in 2017 out of 12.4
lakh deaths across India due to air pollution along with huge decrease in life
expectancy for populations living in Bulandshahr.

The power plant will receive its coal from Amelia coal block
in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh. Mining in Amelia would result in the destruction
of close to a million trees in one of the oldest sal forests in central India.

“This investment is going to be a disaster in multiple ways
– located in the most polluted region in the world, destroy one of the oldest
forests in the country, displace vulnerable communities dependent on the
forest, put enormous pressure on the stressed coal power sector and increase
cost of power purchase for struggling distribution companies” added Sen.

Another thermal power plant of the same size, to be based in
Buxar, Bihar, was also approved, with the investment of Rs.10,439.09 crores.

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